Resolve of a Fairy, Love of a Spirit
by Ghille Dhu the Blue
Summary: Tortured on a whim by the cruel Minerva, Lucy struggles to conquer the overwhelming power of the Sabertooth mage. With strong resolve she regains her keys, and with the strength of her spirits shows Minerva the true power of a Fairy Tail Mage: the strength of resolve conquering anything. AU Chapter 291


**Authors Ramble:** I had this written before the Naval Battle concluded. So, definitely AU, especially since it is another of my 'Lucy actually wins like she deserves to' one-shots. Nothing special, more of a self-indulgent LUCY POWER fanfic. Not meant to be done fairly. I love Lucy as a character, and to be honest, I don't enjoy most FT fanfics. Not that they aren't lovely, just few of them appeal to my tastes. I just don't see many Lucy empowerment ones, and when I do see some of them...well they are a bit over the top for my tastes. I'm such a fusspot. I'll admit my biggest love is LucyHibiki, I just for no real reason *squeal* at the idea of them together.

I'm trying to start up a general discussion forum called "The Commune". It'd be fanfic recs, plot help, general discussion of pretty much anything. Not an RP whatsoever, but maybe you might be interested?

* * *

It hurt to draw even a shallow breath.

She was alive, and she wasn't beaten so badly that she couldn't fight, right? Natsu would pick himself right back up. He would fight, and he would win.

She wasn't Natsu.

She didn't have her keys.

Yet, she was a Fairy Tail mage, they were so close, gaining victory after victory, proving their worth to the crowds, and other Guilds. Lucy had shamed them once. She had lost them a match. This was to be her redemption yet she was beaten, and she was limp as this Sabertooth mage tortured her.

_Mama...I hurt so bad...I'm not finished though...I won't fail my guild again. That is a promise. _

Brown eyes shot open, her hand shot out and a fist formed to strike Minerva on the jaw. The Sabertooth mage let her loose, Lucy brought her leg up, kicking the dark haired mage in the stomach. It hurt, everything hurt so bad, but she couldn't fail her comrades again. Minerva set out to attack again.

Lucy didn't stand a chance without her keys.

The solution was to get her keys. Minerva was too strong, so Lucy couldn't overpower her, but Lucy could fool the stronger mage, Lucy was smarter. So she dove forwards, taking the full force of the attack, and right when Minerva dropped her guard, grabbed her keys. Kicking her legs furiously, she was propelled backwards.

Distantly she heard noise from outside.

"Amazing...Fairy Tail's Celestial Spirit mage has made a comeback after being cruelly tortured...once again we see the indomnitable spirit of the Guild...Fairy Tail!"

Two keys in her hand. Narrowed brown eyes staring across the water sphere. Ignoring the protests of her battered body, Lucy raised the keys.

A dual gate opening would take a lot of magic, but this Sabertooth mage was cruel beyond belief, she had to learn the true might of Fairy Tail! Lucy would take the upcoming several day Infirmary visit, if it meant she could see that smirk wiped off that Minerva's face!

"Open Gate of the Lion! Leo," Lucy snapped out with quickly, "Open Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!" She continued, her voice growing stronger.

Appearing at her side, Loke was grim faced, lacking any of his normal flirtations. His eyes had briefly scanned her, noting her bruises and pain streaked face, his handsome face cold as he stared at the Sabertooth mage.

On her left, Capricorn suitably grim faced, and more angry than Lucy had never seen the fatherly spirit before. She realised then, both her spirits were so grim faced because of the pain she was in, they were angry on her behalf. She felt a rush of affection for them both.

Minerva wasn't acting. Overconfident in her abilities, Lucy analysed, not seeing how anything Lucy could do would change the outcome. She seemed more amused that Lucy was putting up a fight, Minera was eyeing Lucy as if she were a bug to be crushed.

"Anyone who harms our Lucy, our precious Master, they won't go unpunished. Prepare yourself!" Simultaneously, the two spoke in tandem as they rushed forwards. Capricorn slightly ahead of Loke, the Goat Spirit slamming into Minerva with a kick.

Then a terrible scream shot through the sphere and beyond.

It was Lucy. Minerva was torturing her again, and the two spirits couldn't do anything to help her.

Loke shuddered, charging forwards, an animalistic growl escaping from him. "Humans never learn, to cause pain to another, for pleasure, they never learn!" He screamed out as his hand was outstretched. "To harm a pure soul, to make Lucy cry out in pain, it isn't a crime I can forgive!" He roared out in fury. Shaking in anger as the Light of Regulas enshrouded him. There was no carefully concentrated attack, his fury was of an animal, nothing cold and calculated. The shroud that surrounded him was his magic in its rawest form.

Capricorn nestling Lucy's limp and unmoving form in his arms, cradling her as if she was an infant, had positioned himself with his face looking away, shielding Lucy from any backlash from whatever Loke was going to do.

"She is weak, all of them are weak. They must learn their place!" Minerva responded, drawing on her own magic, ready to attack. Her eyes closed, the brilliance of the magic invoked by the spirit, burning in its strength.

"I have lived for eons. I have witnessed civilisations rise and fall, you fool. I have seen true weakness, and it is you who is weak! Strength comes from the heart, and you have no heart!" Loke snarled. "I have fought at the side of hundreds of mages, and none possess the same raw strength that Lucy Heartfilia possesses, but even if she was the weakest mage, I'd remain by her side, out of love!"

Scoffing aloud, Minerva made her move.

It was the last move the Sabertooth member made in this battle.

The Sabertooth mage was sent rocketing out of the sphere, slamming into the ground, landing on her bottom and elbows. Her beautiful but cruel face frozen in disbelief. She had played with her opponent, and paid the price. "Impossible. I'm a Sabertooth mage, we are the strongest, this can't be." Her face became slack, she had lost, she was in last place.

Capricorn still cradling the shallowly breathing Lucy stood. "True strength, as Leo said, comes from the heart, and like her mother, Layla, there are none who can match the strength of Lucy's heart. Until such a time you realise this, you will be nothing, make no mistake, Minerva, of Sabertooth." He addressed her impassively, as the sphere disappeared, and he stepped forwards.

Panting, Loke wordlessly walked towards his Mistress, removing her from Capricorn's arms. "Return, Capricorn, I will guard her," he said to his fellow spirit, his steely gaze not moving away from the blonde haired mage in his arms, whose eyes were barely open. "Rest now, my lady," he murmured, his lips a hairs breadth from her ear. "You've become strong, Lucy." He murmured as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The crowd didn't know if they ough to cheer in celebration of the Fairy Tail victory, or stay silent in horror at what their former favourite Guild had wrecked on the delicate looking Celestial Spirit mage. Both the female mages had been rather beautiful, but out of them both, it had been the slender blonde, who had a young and kind face that had appealed to them the most.

Minerva, was icy, and her conduct had been cruel.

Had they been so blind?

For seven long years, they had mocked Fairy Tail, they had become a joke.

People had questioned why they had ever been so popular. They laughed in the faces of a Guild who had lost people they so obviously cared deeply for. It hadn't gone unnoticed, how each and every Fairy Tail mage present had been ready to dive into the Sphere. It hadn't gone unnoticed how they wanted to win, but those not fighting, were willing to give up a match if the participant was being hurt badly.

They had been intimidated by those Sabertooth mages.

Yet, none of them could ever recall feeling scared of a Fairy Tail mage ever. Even when they were destructive, nobody but their enemy had ever been harmed, they'd always paid for repairs, and they were kind and lively.

The crowd erupted with cheers of :"FAIRY TAIL! LUCY! FAIRY TAIL!LUCY!"

Fairy Tail didn't need to win the Games to gain the regard of clients anymore.


End file.
